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Ruud bounced back from a shaky start to defeat local favourite
Diego Schwartzman 5-7 6-2 6-3 and win the tournament for the
second time after his triumph in 2020.
Schwartzman had ended a 13-year wait for an Argentine champion
with his 2021 title but he could not repeat those heroics
against Ruud.
"It means a lot," Ruud said. "I think this is the perfect start
and it will give me confidence for the rest of the season and
also for the next weeks when I am here in South America."
Ruud did not play at the Argentina Open last year and the
23-year-old came into the event this year following an ankle
injury that forced his late withdrawal from the Australian Open.
"Coming into the week, I was here to try to defend the title not
from last year but 2020 ... if I didn't defend it, I would have
lost points in the rankings," Ruud added.
"I was a bit nervous and it was the first time I had to do this
in my career. I was successful so it feels very good and it's
good to have the trophy in my hands like I had two years ago."
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen
Coates)
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